Kenya Water Missions Kenya Kitale, Kenya Number of Safe Water Projects:43 Number of Staff: 11 Language - Swahili and English. GDP Per Capita- $1,600 Population- 39 million. Poverty Level- 50 percent live below the poverty line. Religion- Catholics and Protestants make up nearly 80 percent of the country, while ten percent are Muslim. Climate- varies from tropical along the coast to arid in the interior.

Brief History- Named after Mount Kenya, its highest point. Originally established as a British colony, the natives rebelled and in the mid-1950’s gained their independence. The country’s struggle with ethnic violence continues to this day.

A note from Water Missions International's Kenyan Country Director, Moses Ng'ania:

Greatest Achievement of 2010: We expanded our area of operation to cover almost all the regions within Kenya. It was our first year of operation after attaining the Non Governmental Organisation status that mandates the expansion.

We undertook a complex treatment works that involved removal of iron for one of the rural communities that had abandoned the only borehole in the area because of high iron levels. Our Engineering team successfully engineered a solar solution for 3 projects that covered several miles. Thanks to the partnership between WMI and Solar World.

Favorite story - “Our God is great, he touches people’s hearts, he touches a church, he touches technicians, and he touches Engineers. Thank you Lord!!! We now have water flowing from the tap at Kagwatatuk community” - Paulina Lotupat a 35 year old mother of 8.

Kagwatatuk is in the North Pokot district, Rift Valley province in Kenya. The majority of the population relies on pastoral livelihoods. As a sparsely populated border area, North Pokot has long been neglected by the government and international relief. It is an area of broken roads, few functioning water sources, high levels of illiteracy and limited access to health services. Even when weather conditions and rainfall levels are ideal, communities struggle to find sufficient quantities of safe drinking water for themselves and their livestock. Widespread poverty and food insecurity are a way of life rather than an emergency.

Kagwatatuk is located in this county and it’s a generally arid area. The major water sources are boreholes, traditional seasonal rivers, sand and Pan Dams. These water sources end up contaminated or drying up due to long dry spells. Previously, a well had been drilled 100 m deep, but the hand pump broke down after several months. Water Missions International designed a solar solution and swapped out the broken hand pump with a solar powered pump. The community now has access to safe water with ease from a tap.

Now the community can access safe water with ease and the hot sun, which was once a curse, has become a source of blessing to them.

To donate to our Kenya Country Program, please go to my.watermissions.org/donate and designate Kenya Country Program.